By definition, a high performance team is one that has blended together two primary components – the Achievement Component and the Relationship Component. In the Achievement Component, the team is very clear about their vision, shared goals, tasks and common interests. In addition to their clarity of knowledge about them, they are extremely committed to achieving them. In the Relationship Component, members of the team have caring, loving relationships within the team. As friends, they exhibit strong evidence of trust, respect and support and yet these characteristics do not prevent them from holding each other accountable to a high standard. The leader of a high performance team must understand the balance necessary between the two components. The role of the Coach is to continually review the performance of the team and to ensure that balance is in place between the Achievement and Relationship Components. In addition, the coach must be committed to help and guide the team to achieve that balance. Let’s look at the characteristics of these components. THE ACHIEVEMENT COMPONENT A high performance team love what they do. They pour their hearts into their work that they love. Doing what you love creates energy. It creates a contagious positive attitude. Bonnie Blair, speed skater (Gold medal Olympic winner) in all of her interviews says, “I love to skate!” High performance teams look for the joy in their work because those who are the best at what they do realize that joy lies in going to work. When you enjoy your work, it is easy. A high performance team takes enthusiastic ownership of the “goals” of the team:...

By Sandy Richardson, Peak Performance Coach It’s amazing to realize that nearly all dentists, hygienists and assistants experience some sort of physical pain—some on a daily basis. Most often it’s in the neck, shoulders and lower back. The distraction of pain causes reduced commitment and inconsistent results, whether in patient care, leadership of team, personal fitness or quality of life. I’ve even known some dentists who were ready to give up because of too much pain or who were ready for surgery in hopes of alleviating the pain. How great would it be if you could plan your retirement, rather than end a career because of pain? Or how great would it be to simply increase the quality of your physical health so that your work can be enjoyable again? There is an answer—a revolutionary method for stopping chronic pain. You can eliminate chronic pain without drugs, surgery, or other invasive procedures. Developed by Pete Egoscue, a sports injury consultant to some of today’s major athletes and used exclusively at his renowned clinics in California and Connecticut, the Egoscue Method has a 95% success rate. Pete believes in low-impact, easy-to-perform series of exercises that return the body to its natural design and posture and in the process completely eliminates even the most severe pain. In a recent interview with me, Egoscue shared his philosophy concerning pain experienced by dental professionals. “Working with dentists and hygienists for many years, I noticed that many of them experience pain in the back, neck and arms. Dentistry did not do this to them. The reason many dentists and hygienists are in pain is because...

By Sandy Richardson, Peak Performance Coach The Present, n. 1. The moment when you open your eyes. 2. A timeless second. 3. A state of being in the moment. 4. When you move from your head to your heart. 5. The determination of your future. 6. A precious gift. She awoke early with a flutter in her tummy, anticipating her day as an outpatient in the surgical clinic. At 80 years old, she thought, “Oh well, it can’t be so bad, thousands of people have had their gall bladders removed.” So she showered, dressed and left for the clinic. Two hours later, she was ready for surgery. The first doctor she met was the anesthesiologist, Dr. Earle. “Nice man”, she thought, “I’m feeling better already, Dr. Earle has such nice bedside manner.” Dr. Earle chatted briefly with her, explaining the simplicity of her procedure and then proceeded with the intubation. Suddenly, she could see the concern on his face – something in the back of her throat stopped the tube! He tried again. No luck. He looked in her throat and saw a large tumor on her tonsil. Marie’s world turned upside down that day. There was no gallbladder surgery – instead there was an urgency to properly diagnose and plan how to treat her oral cancer. This, unfortunately, is how most people discover that they have oral cancer. 83% of oral cancers are diagnosed by non-dental personnel. The Future, n. 1. A reward for being active in the present. 2. A place of curiosity. 3. Fast paced. 4. Your choice! The Oral Cancer Foundation reports that oral cancer...

Cosmetic dentistry is a highly personalized science, which requires an extraordinary combination of communication, technical mastery and artistic skills. So, you’ve learned the skills–you’ve attended a hands-on, live, patient-aesthetics course and you’re ready to use your new skills in your existing practice. You arrive home into your comfortable environment (your comfort zone) and realize that things must change in order to incorporate all you’ve learned. Change … yikes! There’s that word again. This time follow the easy plan outlined below, knowing that this time the change will be great. Peter Drucker once said, “Everything new gets into trouble at some point. It needs a champion.” Your plan needs someone who will defend, support and protect it. Your plan needs you to champion it. Furthermore, your team requires leadership. Your team needs continuity. Your team needs to know where they stand, how the changes will effect them and what your new expectations are of them. You and your team need a plan. Not having a plan is like playing the lotto—chances of winning are slim. To get the best results, you must know what your expectations are—then you can coach your team to specific outcomes. If you don’t know what you want, others will be guessing or assuming, which results in confusion and unmet expectations. You are now ready to contribute significantly to making a difference in people’s lives and even more, extending lives. It’s time to raise your standards. Think about the areas of your practice that have become mediocre: facility, team appearance, your appearance, communication skills, value added services (customer service) and marketing. Are the fundamentals of your...

He awoke with the same feeling of dread that he went to sleep with. Today was the day he had to “deal” with Josie. Josie was his new dental assistant who had been with the practice for four months. Josie already was popular with the team; she had high energy, a great smile, but drove him crazy with her tardiness and her sense of non-caring about it. As he sat in his office at lunchtime looking vacantly at the computer screen that he didn’t know why he purchased in the first place, he stressed over how he was going to handle the conversation with Josie. He had scheduled it for the end of the day, and as much as he would like to think of a reason to cancel, he knew the rest of the team was aware of the meeting and wanted something done about Josie’s tardiness. He was stuck. He knew she would cry when he talked with her and maybe even quit. His sense of dread grew bigger and bigger. He reached into his backpack and took out the lunch his wife Misty had made for him. He unwrapped the clinging plastic wrapping and stared at the sandwich—his appetite gone as his anxiety increased. He saw the two slices of whole wheat bread separated by a thick layer of turkey, tomato and lettuce—the meat of the sandwich. Hmmmm—the meat of the sandwich. What was the meat of his meeting with Josie? How could he get to the meat without causing upset and tears? Perhaps I need to put it between two slices of bread, he thought. If...